Hillary Clinton says she understands 'hard life'

Tuesday

Jun 10, 2014 at 10:28 AM

WASHINGTON (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that she and former President Bill Clinton "fully appreciate how hard life is for so many Americans," seeking to refine remarks she made about the pair being "dead broke" when they left the White House.

At the same time, the former secretary of state dropped another hint that she might be leaning toward a second run for the presidency. Clinton said that she and her husband have "gone through some of the same challenges that many people have" and that they "understand what that struggle is."

In an interview on the day her book "Hard Choices" was being released, Clinton told ABC's "Good Morning America" that she and her husband left the White House roughly $12 million in debt at the end of his second term in early 2001. But she also acknowledged that "we've continued to be blessed in the last 14 years."

In response to a question, Clinton told anchor Robin Roberts she wants "to use the talent and resources that I have to make sure" others have the same opportunities.

Clinton's Senate financial disclosure forms, filed for 2000, show assets between $781,000 and almost $1.8 million. The forms allow senators to report assets in broad ranges. The same form, however, showed that the Clintons owed between $2.3 million and $10.6 million in legal bills to four firms.

"I think she's been out of touch with average people for a long time," said Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, pointing to Clinton's estimated $200,000-per-speech speaking fees and million-dollar book advances. "Whether she was flat broke or not is not the issue. It's tone deaf to average people."

Clinton's remarks about helping people to find greater economic opportunities marked the second time in as many days that she suggested an interest in making a second run for the presidency in 2016.

Clinton had said in an earlier interview with ABC News that Republican inquiries into her handling of the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, gave her more of an incentive to run. While she said she's still undecided about her political future, Clinton cited the Benghazi probe as an example of a dysfunctional Congress.

"It's more of a reason to run, because I do not believe our great country should be playing minor league ball. We ought to be in the majors," Clinton said emphatically, leaning forward in her chair during her interview aired Monday with ABC's Diane Sawyer. "I view this as really apart from, even a diversion from, the hard work that the Congress should be doing about the problems facing our country and the world."

On Benghazi, Clinton said Tuesday she believed "there were some systemic problems within the State Department. And if we had known that earlier, perhaps we could have done some changes."

But she also said, "You can't always sit in an office in Washington and say this and that will happen."

Clinton said she has no lingering health issues from a concussion she suffered last year. And she also said "no" when asked if she would have to distance herself from some of President Barack Obama's foreign policy decisions if she runs for the White House. Clinton said she made clear in the book there were areas where she and Obama disagreed. In a campaign scenario, she said, "I will be clear" where she disagrees with Obama.

In another interview, Clinton revealed that shortly after Sarah Palin was nominated as the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate, the Obama campaign proposed that Clinton go on the attack against her. Clinton said she refused.

"The Obama campaign did contact me and asked me if I would attack her," Clinton told NBC in an interview that aired on the "Today" show Tuesday. "I said, 'Attack her for what, for being a woman? Attack her for being on a ticket that's ... trying to draw attention?'"

Clinton said she told the campaign, "There'll be plenty of time to do what I think you should do in politics, which is draw distinctions."

On Monday, Palin tweeted a page from Clinton's new book that contained Clinton's description of the episode. In it, Clinton says that the Obama campaign suspected Palin's nomination "was a blatant attempt to scuttle their hope of welcoming the women who had vigorously supported me" in Clinton's own unsuccessful presidential campaign.

"They immediately issued a dismissive statement and reached out to me in hopes I would follow suit," Clinton writes. "But I wouldn't. I was not going to attack Palin just for being a woman appealing for support from other women. I didn't think that made political sense and it didn't feel right. So I said no, telling them there'd be plenty of time for criticism. A few hours later the Obama campaign reversed itself and congratulated Governor Palin."

That page prompted Palin, the former Alaska governor, on Monday to tweet: "Look who fired the 1st shot in the real "war on women". Hint: it wasn't the GOP. See this excerpt from Hillary's book."

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